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Wireless USB now an option in even more Dell laptops
Jonesing for more wireless USB options in your laptop? Dell's got you covered with extended availability of the $145 add-on in its XPS M1530 (plus its Gaming Edition), Inspiron 1525, which brings the tally to those and the 17-inch Inspiron 1720 and 13-inch M1330. Still out of the wireless USB loop: the low end 14-inch 1420, the XPS M1730, and the juggernaut M2010 (which really should have it by now).[Via Electronista]
XPS M1330 BIOS update hints at upcoming Blu-ray / DVD combo drive
The last Dells we saw with a slot-loading Blu-ray drive were the XPS One and monster XPS M2010, but it looks like Round Rock's taking it mainstream soon -- the latest BIOS update for the popular XPS M1330 lists support for an unspecified "Blu-ray / DVD +/- RW Combo Drive." No word on when we'll see these actually for order, but if you were in the market for an M1330, you might consider holding off until these become available.[Thanks, Rupert]
Dell teases like a girl with XPS 630 gaming desktop
Check that evil scowl will you. You're looking into the menacing red grill of Dell's newest gaming desktop the XPS 630. Dell's site modestly teases, "Here comes a new challenger." Challenger eh, not leader? Come on Dell, you're not going to generate any gaming hype with such tepidity. Drop in some NVIDIA GeForce 9800 GX2 graphics and say it loud, boy. Just not too loud, you don't want to step on the toes of your Alienware subsidiary.Update: Mystery solved. Looks like Dell dropped the "i" from the XPS 630i which we had the chance to get up close to at CES. It's just an mid-level gaming rig. Nothing to see here folks, move along now.[Thanks, Thomas C.]
Ubuntu-powered Dell XPS M1330 now available in the States
Everything's free in America, for a small fee in America! Or something like that. Don't mind us. Dell is shipping its XPS M1330 laptop with a DVD-playing version of Ubuntu 7.10 pre-installed in the States now, exactly as promised. Everybody else got this about a week ago, but we're not bitter: the $954 US starting price sure beats the 799 Euros those suckers over there have to drop.[Thanks, Nigel]
How would you change Dell's XPS One?
Back in October of last year, we all wondered just what impact Dell's leaked XPS One would really have on the all-in-one PC, nay, computer market, and truth be told, we're still waiting for something definitive. Sure, the first press shots were emanating with all kinds of sexy (for a Dell), and this thing was teased more than any single hunk of plastic and metal ever should be, but it still maintained a certain aura that kept people anxious for release day. Shortly after going on sale in mid-November, reviewers from all walks of life managed to fall innocently in love with Round Rock's latest, but as with most other XPS machines, we're fairly certain the discerning crowd that this piece is aimed at will find plenty of reasons to nitpick room for improvement.If you were given a round-trip ticket to Texas with keys to the XPS One's design laboratory, what would be your first (and second, and third...) order of business? Are you honestly satisfied with the graphics performance? Is the built-in display that you're now stuck with up to snuff? Does it really look as good in your humble abode as it did in a classy New York City furniture store? Of course, we fully understand that Dell must have done something right here for ole Walt to highly praise it, and while we're sure the current incarnation of the One may suffice for many, we want to hear your vision of One.one. Shout it out below!
Dell and Microsoft get official with (PRODUCT) RED gear
We knew Dell and Microsoft would be giving some of their gear the Bono treatment this week, but the two companies and the AIDS-in-Africa relief project unveiled their partnership in style today at Davos. Just like we'd heard, the XPS m1530, m1330, and XPS One machines are all going crimson, as well as the 948 AIO printer. Microsoft's kicking in a special (PRODUCT) RED-themed edition of Vista Ultimate to keep things special on the OS tip, and obviously you'll feel better about things with donations of $50 - $80 of each machine's purchase price going to RED, and $5 on the printer (hey, those margins are low enough as it is). All the new stuff should be available by the end of the week in the States, and by January 31 in 30 additional countries -- or right now for your viewing pleasure in the gallery. %Gallery-14555%
Hands-on with Dell's XPS 630i desktop and 16-inch concept laptop
Once we heard that Dell was showing off the XPS 630i "compact" desktop and 16-inch, 16:9 XPS laptop concept at its booth / lounge, we headed right over the moment that the show floor opened. Unfortunately the notebook was locked behind a glass case, precluding any real face time with the prototype widescreen system, but luckily we were able to get right up in the grille of the 630i to check out all the angles. Of course, you'd rather peep some pictures then hear us drone on about our impressions, so check out the gallery below for the full package.%Gallery-12914%
Dell showing off 16-inch XPS concept laptop
Once in awhile you get surprised at CES -- this is one of those times. Apparently, Dell is toying with the idea of a 16-inch XPS laptop, and it's brought a concept version of the device to the floor of this year's show. What you're looking at above is a full HD laptop based on the M1530 design. The screen sports a stunning 1920 x 1080 resolution, which is powered by an NVIDIA 8600M graphics chipset. The folks at Notebook Review managed to get some pretty handsome photos of the new design (which is as-yet unannounced) before being "ushered away" from the display. Hopefully we can glean some more information as the CES wheels turn -- so stay tuned.
Dell adds new screen resolutions to the XPS m1530
We weren't exactly thrilled when Dell launched the 15.4-inch XPS m1530 with a lackluster 1280 x 800 display, but it looks like the cries of anguish from Dell fans across the tubes have been heard in Round Rock -- the company just announced on its Direct2Dell blog that m1530 buyers will now have two additional high-res display options. Bumping up to 1440 x 900 will cost $50, while a 1680 x 1050 WSXGA+ screen will tack on $150 to the m1530's base price. That's definitely better, but we're still wondering why 1440 x 900 isn't standard to begin with.
Dell XPS M1730 review roundup
If you're down with your "laptop" weighing some 10.6-pounds, and you don't mind shelling out copious quantities of cash in order to see those frame rates hold steady in the triple digits, the XPS M1730 has your name written all over it. At least, that's what we've gathered from reading the first batch of reviews to hit the 'net. Generally speaking, the adoration for this so-called Beast was universal, as just about everyone came away thoroughly impressed with its gaming performance, mesmerizing LEDs and cutting edge hardware found all over. Truth be told, the only real digs revolved around its unwieldy size, ho hum port selection, paltry battery life and the humongous power supply. 'Course, anyone remotely interested in this thing is probably willing to deal with the aforementioned negatives in order to posses such an incredibly powerful mobile gaming rig, and if you've been holding that trigger finger waiting for the critics to give you the all clear, feel free to fire at will.Read - HotHardware ("...a mobile gaming dream system...")Read - CNET (8.4 out of 10; Editors' Choice)Read - LAPTOP (4.5 out of 5 stars; Editors' Choice)Read - PCMag (4.5 out of 5 stars; Editors' Choice)
Dell's XPS 420: now available with CableCARD
If you've been toying with the idea of ordering up one of Dell's XPS 420s, now wouldn't be a bad time to pull the trigger -- particularly if you're into CableCARD. Effectively immediately, users can configure their XPS 420 with single or dual ATI TV Wonder Digital Cable Tuners, and each one will only add $180 to the bottom line. Reportedly, the option will become a mainstay on the model, and if you're cool with the basics, you can snag a CableCARD-equipped tower for just $1,079 right now. Decisions, decisions. [Via Chris Lanier's Blog]
It begins: Dell and Blizzard teaser page is up
Dell and Blizzard are up to something. Last week a teaser page went up on Dell's site hinting at big news, but giving little detail. It's safe to assume that Dell has found a new way to market its XPS gaming line of notebook computers with the blessing of Blizzard, but how this particular pairing of corporate entities is going to play out is anyone's guess.This is not the first time the two have worked together. Last fall Dell and Blizzard gave away five $3200 XPS M1710 Limited Edition notebooks. That was just for logging into the game and was promoted by Blizzard. This new pairing is being promoted by Dell, so they may have something different in mind this time.Either way, you can sign up on the teaser page to be notified by e-mail when they are ready to send out their big announcement. There are also 6 beautiful pieces of World of Warcraft desktop backgrounds to download in various sizes.
Dell's 15.4-inch XPS M1530 multimedia powerhouse available on-line -- starts at $999
Thar she blows! Dell's mysterious XPS M1530 is up live and dancing on Dell's Singapore site. With any luck, she'll be struttin' that 15.4-inch, 1440 x 900 CCFL (not LED-backlit) display, HDMI-out and optional slot-loading Blu-ray Disc and 64GB SSD Stateside by morning. This XPS powerhouse packs up to a 2.6GHz Core 2 Duo T7800 processor, 256MB of NVIDIA GeForce 8600M GT graphics, 4GB DDR2 memory, and either a 7200RPM 200GB or 5400RPM 320GB SATA disk. Rounding things out are 802.11n WiFi (with built-in WiFi catcher), Bluetooth 2.0, 2 megapixel webcam, and optional HSDPA or EVDO cards. It's even sporting a panel of touch-sensitive, capacitive controls for your media. Thing is, that rumored 4-pound weight is 5.78-pounds in reality -- more if you opt for the 9-cell battery. Still, that weight was always a bit too good to be true for a fully-spec'd, 15-inch laptop.Update: Ooops, the Singapore site is down (gone?). No worries, the site is up in Germany, France, and the UK.Update 2: Dell's US site is now hot. Prices start at $999 for the "good" configuration on up to $1,499 for "best." Oh my, and the display has been rolled back to just 1,280 x 800. Why so stingy with the pixels Dell?%Gallery-10953%[Thanks, Stuart]
XPS One to hit on November 19th
Considering we've already seen Dell's XPS One from every possible angle -- including flayed open -- you'd think that the marketing folks at Dell would have just given up by now, but the company's just updated that XPS One preview site with a super-dramatic teaser video featuring the new tagline "Welcome Beautiful." More importantly, the video also features a launch date: November 19th. Of course, by then we'll have probably already purchased, hacked, upgraded and sold a half dozen of these things, but we promise to still pretend to be surprised.Update: Now that a couple commenters have mentioned it, the video's backing track does sound awfully familiar -- anyone know which exact GarageBand loop it is?Update 2: It's "Contemplative Synth 01." At least Dell bought a Jam Pack, eh?[Thanks, James]
Dell teases the XPS One
We're not sure what suspense there is left to build around the XPS One -- we've already seen it naked before the harsh light of the FCC -- but Dell's not ready to let the magic die, and has posted a teaser slide for its new all-in-one up on Dell.com. Apparently the machine is "The end of the PC as you know it," which is definitely news to us, but hey, maybe we've known a lot of PCs. No more info than that, but interested parties can punch in their email addresses to receive info like ship dates...oh, we have those too. Damn. Well, it's a pretty picture, at least.[Thanks, Joshua]
Dell XPS 420 now available
Sure, it's a bit short on surprises, thanks to a couple of detailed leaks in recent months, but the Dell XPS 420 is now prepped for your ordering pleasure on Dell's online store. Prices start at $1,499, which will get you a fairly specced system and a 20-inch LCD. Other perks in the base system include a Bluetooth keyboard and mouse, a 13-in-1 card reader, SideShow and an option for an "Xcelerator" to speed up video encoding, but on the traditional specs it's pretty firmly middle of the road: Vista Home Premium, 2GB of RAM, Intel Core 2 Duo E6750 processor and 256MB Radeon ATI HD 2600 XT for graphics. But hey, who needs muscle when you've got SideShow?[Thanks to everyone who sent this in]
Dell XPS M1530: movin' on up
For those of you potential XPS M1330 customers out there whose orders have yet to be fulfilled or who are still within your 30 day Dell grace period, take heed. We've just gotten a booty load of information on the successor to the tainted throne, the XPS M1530. Featuring: 15.40-inch display (CCFL up to 1680 x 1050, LED up to 1440 x 900) Core 2 Duo options from 1.5GHz (T5250) up to 2.6GHz (T7800) Crestline GM/PM 965 chipset with up to 4GB of 667MHz DDR2 SDRAM GeForce 8400M or 8600M GS options (up to 256MB) Slot-loading Blu-ray / 8x DVD±RW Options for 802.11a/b/g/n, WWAN, Bluetooth HDMI, VGA, 1394, ExpressCard, (3) USB 2.0, Ethernet, fingerprint reader, media reader 2.0 megapixel (with CCFL) or 300k (with LED) cameras Weight supposedly 4 pounds to start (which is pretty light, we're assuming that's sans battery) It's slated for November 7th release for release before the holidays, but we can never make guarantees for any company to hit it's ship date, ok?%Gallery-8236%
Dell's XPS M1730 sneaks onto Dell's site: a beast indeed
Hiddy Ho Mr. XPS M1730, nice to see you up and dancing on Dell's own website for a change. While it's not exactly official, reader Evgeni noticed that a little E-Value code tomfoolery will pull up pictures, specs, and prices easy enough. $4,192 will take home a crimson red, 17-inch WUXGA beast with a Vista Ultimate pre-load and the following specs: 2.8GHz Intel Core 2 Extreme X7900 processor (800MHz FSB and 4MB cache) 2GB 667MHz DDR2 memory (4GB for an additional $375) 2 x 200GB 7200RPM disks DVD burner (upgradeable for Blu-ray playback for an additional $550) 512MB Dual (!) NVIDIA GeForce 8700M GT with nVIDIA SLI Te 802.11a/g/n WiFi 9-cell primary and 9-cell secondary batteries That's only the start.
Dell XPS M1730: shots galore, inside and out
Wow, the Dell XPS M1730 isn't even out yet and already we've got even more pictures of the laptop all splayed open. We're a little worried about that drive-on-drive configuration they've got going on, but if you were curious to check out more of the intricacies of the M1730's chassis, both internal and external, here's your shot. Of course, there's nothing more we can tell you in terms of the specs this laptop's going to have, every single detail is already out there. All we can do is wonder what it's going to cost and whether they'll keep that September 21st launch date.%Gallery-7033%
Dell XPS 420 slated for October 19th launch
Next up in our week o' Dell scoops, a bit more on the XPS 420. We don't have much more info on specs than before (really, what else could you possibly need know?), but recent Dell docs have the 420 set for release on October 19th. Granted, that shouldn't be considered a final date -- Dell (among other companies) miss their internal launch dates all the time -- so don't be surprise if it's later. Oh, one other new bit: not that it's any surprise, but the 420 will be ready to rumble with DCTs for CableCARD Vista Media Center. A few more shots of the 420 all splayed open after the break.
